


Let Our Walls Cave In

by AniseNalci



Category: Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem (Visual Novel)
Genre: 7KPP Valentine Prompt Fest, F/M, Mentions of Cordelia and Constance, No betas we die like Lord Adalric, Song: Heart (Sleeping At Last), Title from a Sleeping At Last Song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:26:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29486745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniseNalci/pseuds/AniseNalci
Summary: Past, present, future - the princess of Arland chooses freedom over duty, and chooses a life with the pirate prince of Hise over one without.Written for the 7KPP Valentine Prompt Fest.
Relationships: Arland Princess/Hamin
Kudos: 1





	Let Our Walls Cave In

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, I am late. This is for the [7KPP Valentine Prompt Fest](https://fyeah7kpp.tumblr.com/post/641890257459150848/special-thank-you-to-teaandinanity-for-making).

_**past**_

_“Waltzing into the lion’s den_ ,” he said, with a wink.

 _“Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to taunt a pirate with treasure_?” he had asked, in that same conversation.

His eyes casually appraised her. She should feel frightened, but really, there was a frisson of excitement.

It was as if he represented the promise of freedom and adventure, two things that had been denied to her all her life.

Two things that – inevitably – she had begun to yearn for most.

Was it really a surprise then, when she fell for him?

* * *

The Arlish scholars had said that the Hisean people were wild seafarers, little better than pirates. Here she was, speaking to the closest thing they had to a prince.

But the Hiseans were very much like Jiyelians, in a sense. They were both fiercely democratic, even if their styles differed. The Hiseans valued knowledge of the seas and naval warfare, the Jiyelians valued academia, which also included military warfare.

Whereas the Arlish…

Tradition. Duty and tradition. It was why Arland continued to flourish, as it does today. She sighted Princess Cordelia, who was a cousin of hers, descended from an Arlish princess who was married off many years ago to another Hisean pirate, and who was seldom heard from again. If she was happy, no one heard of it. If she suffered, she suffered in silence.

Perhaps she should speak to her cousin…

She was about to cross over to Princess Cordelia, but her step in that direction brought her directly opposite Hamin of Hise.

* * *

Princess Cordelia was bestowed the courtesy title of ‘princess’ by the Arlish, as her mother had once been an Arlish princess, and favourite sister and daughter of an Arlish king.

The Hiseans never cared for any title or rank, except for captain. Again, this was a reflection of their democratic ideals. Still, they humoured their Arlish princess and her half-Arlish daughter, even though Cordelia was born in Hise and in appearances, looked more Hisean than Arlish.

The Hisean ideal of democracy was far too radical for any of the other six kingdoms, or five kingdoms and a queendom, for Skalt remained fiercely matriarchal. It was unsurprising then that the son of the most renowned and respected of Hise’s captains was referred to as a prince.

Even if Hamin of Hise laughed at the thought.

* * *

Constance was beautiful and brave, dutiful and conscientious.

But her sister, the young Arlish princess now following in her footsteps, found her courage failing her at this point.

It took all her composure and lessons at etiquette to deal with the rambunctious Princess Anaele (“Ana!” she had insisted) and her loathsome admirer, Lord Blain. She could see herself becoming fast friends with Ana, and bitter enemies with Lord Blain.

She wisely approached the chaperones first, hoping they could provide her with some counsel. Duchess Yvette recounted the history of the summit, Princess Jaslen talked about the delegates, she discussed battle tactics with General Falon…

Grand Duke Woodly was wildly unhelpful and made her feel like a child, before telling her not to set her cap at Prince Lisle.

Firstly – the audacity!

It may have been true that Arlish princesses had often been married into other royal families; it was a snide comment often made that the most valuable export the Arlish had were their princesses. After all, Princess Cordelia was the outcome of one, and Princess Constance married the Crown Prince of Corval.

But to assume something like that!

There were two other Princes to marry. And of course, three other Princesses. But she had a feeling her father would die of apoplexy and her mother would faint dead away at the thought of her cavorting with Princess Anaele (and the less said of Princess Gisette, the better). And Princess Cordelia was her cousin. Arland was traditional and conservative. Indeed, she herself had been shocked at the implication that Ana found her romantically appealing.

Not that she would judge. She knew nothing of the world, after all, it would appear.

Secondly – she was nothing like her sister.

Unfortunately.

To Hamin, it didn’t seem to matter. She was her own person, and he was his.

_(He would also argue that she was his person, and he was hers, and never would they part.)_

* * *

He had threatened to kidnap her.

He needn’t have threatened her. She would have gone with him willingly, travelled with him wherever the winds blew. 

She knew she would do that, when he took her adventuring in the castle, in spite of Jasper’s disapprobation.

She knew she would follow him, when he talked of his life in Hise.

She knew she loved him, when he spoke of wanting to be free and leaving the stuffy rules the summit had behind; but, knowing what was owed to his parents, to his people, to the fragile peace that kept the seven kingdoms together, stayed to fulfil his responsibility.

Her heart skipped a beat when he spoke of them, of what may happen together.

She sometimes wished they would be able to run away from it all. Set sail, and leave this world of intrigue and danger behind.

Did her long-lost aunt ever feel this way? Or was she deeply unhappy, as Princess Cordelia seemed to feel, being stuck in a world that she felt she did not belong in?

She couldn’t imagine wanting to forgo the freedom the Hiseans revelled in.

_“Promises, promises. You keep saying you will kidnap me, but you never go through with it!”_

She wasn’t entirely joking when she told him that. Nor was she entirely joking when she pointed out the boat to him. _“There's a boat, let's go!”_ she had said, only somewhat forgetting that while Hamin was a capable boatsman and pirate prince, she was still a rather sheltered princess.

There was a naïve, idealistic part of her that thought that their love would be able to survive even their nation’s disapproval. He was willing to kidnap her, and she would willingly follow him.

* * *

_"What on earth prevailed on you to choose to align with... someone like me?"_

She thought briefly about the time he coaxed her out of her shell, to go adventuring with him. And the time in which with him on her team, they won the boat race. He had been so masterful, that it was really quite something to watch. 

And the time she tried to bake, only for him to eat every single one of that disgusting mess of an experiment, and then claiming it was worthy of a true pirate's treasure. 

_"These are the first things you've ever made, aren't they?"_

How could she not love him for that alone?

The reality was that she had never been brave.

But she wanted to be.

And he recognised that.

As they spent more and more time together, she found herself more and more attracted to him. She may have been intrigued by his adventurous spirit and his devil-may-care attitude. It wasn’t only that, however; more importantly, he was _kind,_ and _sweet_ (in spite of his flagrant disregard for rules), and saw her as her own person, trying to break free.

Sometimes she felt that he understood her.

_“It's true that you weren't born or raised the way I am used to, or used to admiring. But despite everyone's attempt to keep you trapped in a small cage and trim your wings, now that you are free and forced to fly, with no lessons on the matter, you are growing strong and doing it. “_

* * *

There came a point where she knew she would have to choose between freedom and duty, and could put off that decision no longer.

She knew what she should have chosen, as a princess of Arland.

_“What does your heart want?”_

The reality was that she wanted to stay with Hamin.

She wanted to learn and grow and see all the places he had seen, and to discover new places with him.

Her parents would never understand.

So, she threw caution to the wind. She would follow her heart. After all, the winds blew him to meet her for a reason, no?

* * *

_**present**_

She stands at the top of the cliffs.

The drop is spectacularly deep. She shivers, as the wind bites her skin. This is different from skulking around the castle with Hamin. This is dangerous.

Hamin assured her that the part of the cliffs where they were to jump would not have rocks at the bottom. Still, she is uneasy. She has never done anything like this before.

 _“No one ever said getting braver was easy,”_ he whispers, as they stand together, at the top of the cliffs.

She takes a deep breath, and together, they jump.

* * *

_“Sea and sky, I love you. Let’s go together.”_

* * *

She gasps, as she breaks through the surface of the water. It's cold, and chilly, and when she looks back, she realises it was _exhilarating._

He has already found himself on dry land (or, at least a surface which is not the sea).

 _“Where I can sit and admire the view,”_ he tells her. She carefully treads water toward him, realising that he had made sure the waves wouldn't be too strong, so as to overwhelm her strength. He grasps her hand, and assists her in finding her way back onto land.

They make a slow trek back up to the castle. She doesn’t want this to end, and neither does he, from the way he procrastinates and delays their journey. His eyes look at the sea, not so far away now. _“The blue and green sea ahead of us may be a masterpiece,”_ he tells her, as they walk together, arms linked, _“but you are beautiful like I've never seen.”_

She kisses his cheek, which takes him aback. They stop, and he declares, _“The world makes sense when I’m with you, do you know. You are… you are like the parachute, that is there just in case, to support me if I fail.”_

To some, this would sound like pretty nonsense, but she knows better. He is in earnest, and the seriousness of his words take her aback.

“You’re sweet to say so,” she tells him. “But Hamin, you know that you are my anchor in the sea as well, don’t you? You are always looking out for me, and helping me grow as a person. I do love you, you know.”

She blushes at her unexpected declaration, and her nervousness following this admission causes her to shiver uncontrollably. He embraces her, and she is half -frightened of looking into his eyes. Eventually, however, her curiosity gives way, and the avalanche of emotions held within them is enough to nearly take her breath away. He kisses her, and then he really _does_ take her breath away.

When they part, he holds her close to keep her warm. She tries not to shiver, and already in his embrace, she feels more relaxed. He is warm, and he is comforting, and even though he is nothing like Arland or the Arlish, he feels like home. His heart beats a steady staccato rhythm, and she feels like there is nowhere else she would rather be that here, cold and wet and shaking, but in his warm embrace.

* * *

**_future_ **

Many years from now, she will be a more capable woman. She will be stronger, and braver, and more independent. She and Hamin will have weathered many ups and downs. There will be happiness, there will be tragedy, there will be _life_ , lived to the fullest, as it ought to be.

There will be adventure, there will be war, there will be peace.

There will be the two of them, a family already. There will be children to come after that, and grandchildren.

There will be the wide expanse of the sea ahead of them, and the promise of a safe harbour behind.

And they will ask her how it was after the summit.

She will be honest with them. It was difficult. Hamin was - and is still, she should say - so free-spirited. She was so sheltered and so untrained in the ways of the world. He tried to be patient, she tried to not always cry at the hardships they faced.

But he was hers, and she was his, and they had chosen this life together.

And when they ask her how they made it through, she would say:

_"We fall in love by chance. We stay in love by choice.”_

* * *

_**fin** _

**Author's Note:**

> I think Hamin/Sheltered Princess may be my new OTP for Sheltered Princess, I really do.
> 
> Title from the prompt song 'Heart' by Sleeping at Last which you can listen to [here](https://youtu.be/G6R2O5JxFSM). So much lifted from it.
> 
> And tell me you don't see Hamin/Sheltered Princess at the cliff's edge with that picture.
> 
> And I had to include the quote somewhere, no? (By this, I mean the last quote; attributed to Anonymous. As usual, genius dies in obscurity.)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!


End file.
